A Recap of the MBI Workshop 2014

Hosted by the Marinelife Aquarium Society of Michigan (MASM) and the Marine Breeding Initiative (MBI), and held July 19, 2014 at Cranbrook Institute of Science in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, this was the fifth workshop they have offered dealing solely with…

Mini Maxi Spawning at Tidal Gardens

For years now, we have been propagating mini maxi anemones. They are easy to propagate by cutting them in half and letting them heal for a month or two. Most aquacultured corals are asexually produced either by allowing them to…

Leptoseris A Stunning Newcomer to the Reefkeeping Scene

When you have been in the hobby a long time, you tend to see a lot of the same things over and over again. I often become desensitized to some of the most beautiful fish in the world because I’ve…

Rock Flower Anemones Resurge in Popularity

Rock flower anemones are trending in popularity as of late in the reef aquarium hobby. They have always been readily available in the industry, as they are harvested close by in the Caribbean. But despite their relatively easy accessibility, they’ve…

Discosoma Mushrooms: Beautiful, Adaptable, Beginner-Friendly Corals

Some of the most beautiful creatures in this hobby are neither rare nor difficult to keep but get glossed over by experienced reef aquarists because they are not the “latest and greatest” coral specimens that landed on our shores. So…

Feeding Corals with Sustainable Aquatics Hatchery Diet

Much of our aquaculture process depends on the fast growth of our corals and the long-term health of our colonies. Coral nutrition is a major factor. We constantly experiment with different foods for our coral. Corals that are fed consistently…

The Translucent Allure of Cynarina Corals

Cynarina are commonly referred to as meat corals or cat’s eye corals. They are large-polyp stony (LPS) corals that grow as a single massive polyp. In many ways, Cynarina share similar traits to Scolymia, Acanthophyllia, and bubble corals of the…

Zoanthids: Tough as Nails but Powerfully Potent

They belong to genera with names like Zoanthus, Parazoanthus, and Palythoa. They’re sometimes called sea mats, button polyps, or colonial anemones. Reef hobbyists commonly refer to them as “zoas.” Whatever name you apply to them, the zoanthids (family Zoanthidae) enjoy…

The Perfect Beginner SPS Coral: Seriatopora (Bird’s nest)

If ever one is looking to get into small polyp stony (SPS) corals but is hesitant because of the challenges associated with them, consider an SPS coral from the genus Seriatopora. Seriatopora corals, commonly referred to as bird’s nest corals,…

Bubble-Tip Anemones: Care and Propogation

Virtually every reef aquarium hobbyist has, at one time or another, dreamed of propagating corals for a living. After learning to maintain these delicate organisms in captivity and experiencing the satisfaction of trading a few frags with fellow hobbyists and…